Wire coiling and clamping fastener



March 4, 1969 w. D. AVERILL 3,431,545

WIRE COILING AND CLAMPING FASTENER Filed March 1, 1967 86 INVEN'IOR.

78 WILL/AM 0. AVER/LL ATTOR United States Patent l WIRE COILING AND CLAMPING FASTENER William D. Averill, Cincinnati, Ohio, assignor of fortyfive percent to Richard Clifton, Cincinnati, Ohio and forty-five percent to John H. Doepke, Cincinnati, Ohio Filed Mar. 1, 1967, Ser. No. 619,762

US. Cl. 339-269 38 Claims Int. Cl. Hlllr 7/16; F16b 39/22 ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE The fastener has a clamping surface to cooperate with a terminal member or support, for clamping therebetween an end of a wire, or an electric conductor, to effect a mechanical or an electrical connection. Means is provided in the form of a spiral guide, to guide an inserted end of the wire automatically into a favorable position for effective clamping, both prior to and during manipulation of the fastener to tighten the connection. The fastener may be formed as a screw, a nut, a washer or the like, or possibly a fastener which is frictionally anchorable by pressing it to a home position.

The present invention relates to a wire coiling and clamping fastener, such as may be used in effecting a terminal anchorage for wires, including electric con ductors, of either the stranded or the single wire type.

An object of the invention is to facilitate and expedite making a satisfactory mechanical or electrical connection for a wire, with substantial savings of time and effort, and with the assurance of maximum conductivity occurring at a terminal when used as an electrical connection.

Another object of the invention is to provide a fastener for the end of a ductile wire, which automatically coils the wire about the fastener shank preparatory to tightening of the fastener, thereby to assure the formation of a neat and satisfactory connection with ease and despatch.

A further object is to provide an improved wire coiling and clam-ping fastener which may be manufactured simply and inexpensively, on a high production basis.

Another object is to provide in a fastener, wire coiling and clamping means of a type which is applicable to fasteners of various kinds, such as screws, nuts, washers, friction studs, and the like.

A further object is to provide a fastener of the type referred to above, which may be employed for securing a wire to supportive bodies or objects of many kinds, including electric terminal blocks for one or more wire connections.

The foregoing and other objects are attained by the means described herein and illustrated upon the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGS. 1 and 2 are top and side elevational views of a fastener embodying one form of the present invention.

FIGS. 3 and 4 are top and side elevational views of a first modification.

FIG. 5 is a side elevational view of a second modification.

FIG. 6 is a side elevational view of a third modification.

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of various suggested coiling means.

3,431,546 Patented Mar. 4, 1969 FIG. 8 is a top plan view of a fourth modification.

FIG. 9 is a top plan view of a fifth modification.

FIG. 10 is a vertical section of a coiling and clamping fastener in the form of a washer.

FIG. 11 i s a vertical section of a sixth modification.

FIG. 12 is a vertical section showing a modification of FIG. 11.

FIG. 13 is a side elevation of a fastener in the form of a nut, embodying the invention.

The wire coiling and clamping fastener of the present invention may be in the form of a screw, a nut, a washer, friction fastener, or the like, provided with an integral coiling spiral which serves to direct into effective clamping position one end or terminal section of a wire or electric conductor to be anchored securely to a suitable support member or terminal. The fastener may be of metal, plastic, a suitable composition, or combination of materials appropriate for the service to be rendered, as will be explained. It may be shaped or fashioned conventionally, by turning, moulding, stamping, rolling, casting or other method suitable for the manufacture thereof.

The device however formed, facilitates and expedites making wire connections, electrical or nonelectrical, upon a terminal member or other supportive body, by guiding an inserted wire or conductor into a favorable position for clam-ping, both prior to and during manipulation of the fastener to tighten the connection. The device is equally effective in the securement of dutile wires either single or stranded, as will become manifest in the light of the following explanation.

Before proceeding with a detailed description of the invention, it is to be understood that the fasteners shown as screws, nuts, and washers, upon the accompanying drawings, are to be regarded as fasteners in a very general sense, within the purview of the present invention. For example, the headed screws shown in many of the drawing views, might as well be fasteners having unthreaded shanks, so as to resemble rivets or studs having relatively smooth shanks to be driven into a hole, for anchorage therein by frictional contact. Such frictional fasteners can be subject to rotation during or after driving; or in other cases, the shanks might be provided with barbs or cutters capable of producing their own anchorages when driven, as in the case of self-threading fasteners.

Likewise, the internally threaded nut of FIG. 13 might well be a so-called threadless nut, wherein fastening thereof may be dependent upon internal lips or barbs to engage a post or stud onto which the nut may be driven either with or without relative rotation of the parts. In another form of threadless nut, the opening therein may be relatively smooth, and dimensioned to tightly accommodate a post or stud shank with a drive fit, either with or without relative rotation as driven. Threadless nuts as above referred to may be subject to rotation after having been driven onto a post or stud.

With the foregoing and equivalent variants in view, the following description proceeds, using merely as an example, common fasteners embodying screw-threads as the driving and setting means, without any intention to limit the invention thereto. The description is thereby simplified for clarity of understanding of the invention.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the reference numeral 20 indicates the head of a screw having a threaded shank 22.

The under face or clamping surface 24 of the head carries a rib 26, preferably integral with the material of the head, which rib is spirally disposed about the shank with one end 28 thereof located at or near the periphery of the screw head. The opposite or inner end 30 of the spiralled rib may terminate at or near shank 22. In the form of fastener illustrated by FIGS. 1 and 2, the rib ends 28 and 30 are spaced apart to form a throat into which may be inserted a stripped end of a wire or conductor to be secured. When the head is screwed loosely onto a terminal or other surface against which the wire end is to be clamped, the wire end may be fed into throat 32 by hand, this resulting in rib 26 acting to initially coil the wire end partially about shank 22. Then by applying a screwdriver or other tool to the head, the clamping surface 24 may be drawn tightly upon the wire end by turning the head in a clockwise direction as viewed in FIG. 1, to further coil the wire end into the space between the rib and shank 22, thereby to securely anchor the inserted wire end against a terminal or support into which the shank is threaded.

It may be noted that spiral rib 26 is extended from clamping surface 24 uniformly along the length of the rib. It may be noted also that the crest of the rib preferably is blunt, rather than sharp, to avoid severing the wire in the event that the wire or a portion thereof becomes displaced outwardly beyond the limits of throat 32 as the screw is driven home. The stripped end of the wire, whether stranded or solid, should be somewhat larger in diameter than the height of the rib beyond surface 24. The rib performs as a coiling means for the wire end.

In the modification illustrated by FIGS. 3 and 4, a spiral groove 34 is substituted for the rib of FIGS. 1 and 2. The spiralled groove has ends 36 and 38 bearing the same relationship to the head periphery and to shank 40, as does rib 26. The effect of groove 34 when tightening down the clamping surface 42 of head 44 upon a wire end, is to coil the wire end about shank 40 as surface 42 clamps the wire end against a terminal or other support.

FIG. 6 suggests that the outer end 46 of a spiralled rib such as 26, may be tapered from surface 24 downwardly, to facilitate insertion of a wire end into the throat formed between the rib ends. FIG. shows the outer end 28 perpendicular to clamping surface 24, as an alternative construction.

FIG. 7 shows schematically a variety of cross-sectional shapes of rib 26 or groove 34, that might be resorted to in fabricating the fastener with spiralled ribs or grooves.

In the modifications, FIGS. 8 and 9, the ribs 26 are multiple ribs, two or three being suggested as extended from the clamping surfaces of heads 48 and 50. In these views, the screw shanks are numbered 52, and the ribs are spiralled to guide a wire end spirally toward the shank as the screws are tightened by rotation thereof. It will be understood that a wire end initially may be coiled by the spiralled ribs incident to insertion of the wire end between adjacent ribs prior to tightening of the screw. In these views, the outer end of one rib and the inner end of an adjacent rib, form a throat for receiving a wire end to be clamped.

In a modification of FIGS. 8 and 9, spiral grooves like that of FIGS. 3 and 4 may be substituted for the ribs of FIGS. 8 and 9, to effect the desired wire coiling function.

FIG. illustrates a screw having a head 54, and a threaded shank 56 extended through a perforated nonrotative washer 58. The under face 60 of the head is a clamping surface to be drawn against the adjacent surface 62 of the washer when the screw is driven home into a tapped support. The clamping surface 62 of the washer may be provided with one or more spiralled ribs 64 like those of FIGS. 1 and 2, 5 and 6, or 8 and 9, for

guiding a wire end spirally about shank 56 prior to or concurrently with tightening the screw head and washer 58 against a terminal or other support. In an alternative construction, the rib or ribs of washer 58 may have grooves substituted therefor, according to FIG. 4, or in multiples as suggested by FIGS. 8 and 9. Washer 58 may be formed as an internally threaded nut, if desired, or it may be a stationary body of any size, with or without screw threads.

According to the modification, FIG. 11, the clamping surface 66 of head 68 is shown concave. Upon the concave surface 66 may be provided a spiralled rib 70 of the same character as the rib of FIGS. 1 and 2, or multiples thereof as suggested by FIGS. 8 and 9. In the FIG. 11 modification, the threaded shank 72 may pass through an apertured washer 74 having a convex clamping surface 76 arched in substantial correspondency with the concavity of surface 66. As in the other forms of fasteners, the spiralled rib or ribs of washer 74 will perform to guide a wire end spirally toward shank 72, prior to or concurrently with tightening of the screw into a tapped terminal or other support. Grooves such as 34 may here be substituted for the rib or ribs 70.

The surfaces 66 and 76 may be reversed, if desired, so that 66 is convex and 76 is concave. These surfaces alternatively may be made complementarily coniform.

In FIG. 12, the shank 78 of a screw having a head 80, passes through a perforated washer 82 whose clamping surface 84 carries a spiralled rib 86 similar to the rib 26 of FIGS. 1 and 2, or perhaps a multiplicity of ribs in accordance with FIGS. 8 or 9. The upper face of washer 82, and the lower face of head 80, may be provided with cooperative keys 88 and slots 90, to interlock and enforce rotation of the washer with the screw head when the head is rotated and driven to home position upon a tapped terminal or other support. The rib or ribs 86, as will be understood from previous explanation herein, perform to guide a wire end spirally toward shank 78 prior to or concurrently with tightening the screw onto a tapped terminal or support.

In each of FIGS. 11 and 12, one or more spiralled grooves may be substituted for the spiralled ribs there shown, as suggested by FIGS. 3 and 4; or if desired, the grooves may be in multiples as stated in the description of FIGS. 8 and 9. The grooves will function as previously explained, to coil an inserted end of a wire or conductor to be clamped.

FIG. 13 indicates how the invention may be applied to an internally screw-threaded nut 92, for application to a correspondingly threaded screw or stud. The nut has a clamping surface 94 upon which may be provided a spiralled rib 96. The rib may be like that of FIGS. 1 and 2, with one end of the rib disposed at or near the perimeter of the nut, whereas the remaining end of the rib terminates near the threaded bore 98. When the nut is applied to a screw or threaded stud, its clamping surface 94 will approach and clamp an inserted wire end against a cooperative terminal or support. The spiralled rib, as in the previous examples, will act to coil the wire end toward the axis of the nut prior to or concurrently with tightening of the nut.

As a construction alternative to FIG. 13, a multiplicity of ribs 96 may be provided, arranged according to FIGS. 8 or 9. Also, one or more grooves may be substituted for the rib 96, and arranged according to FIGS. 3, 8, 9 or 11.

In all forms of the invention, the fastener of what ever type, will induce inward coiling of a wire end or terminal portion to be clamped, thereby to enhance the security of a connection or anchorage for the wire. In some instances, it may be desired to effect the anchorage upon a wire at a location intermediate its ends, in which event the wire may simply be looped at the anchorage point and clamped at the looped area by the coiling fastener. The looped portion in such cases may properly be regarded as a terminal portion or end, resembling an intermediate spur on the wire.

When the fastener is close to final setting upon its terminal or support, the coiling means facilitates and expedites insertion of a wire end into position for effective clamping. The device of the invention is simple and inexpensive to fabricate, and involves no complex manufacturing technique.

The invention may be applied to fasteners having either right-hand threads or left-hand threads, or no threads at all, and as mentioned hereinbefore, the fasteners may be in the form of bolts, screws, nuts, washers, studs and the like, of any size or type.

In the claims which follow, the term body when used, means that part of a fastener which carries the clamping surface, or the surface which compresses and clamps the terminal portion or end of a wire or conductor against a support.

It is to be understood that various modifications and changes may be made in the structural details of the device, within the scope of the appended claims, without departing from the spirit of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. A fastener for anchoring a terminal portion of a wire upon a support, said fastener comprising a rotatable body and means operative upon rotation thereof for advancing the body toward the support, said body having a clamping surface movable into close proximity to the support upon rotation of the body in one direction, and spiral guide means carried by the clamping surface of the body for coiling and directing toward the axis of rotation thereof said terminal portion of a wire to be inserted and clamped between the support and the clamping surface of the body when rotated.

2. The fastener as specified by claim 1, wherein the clamping surface of the body is convex.

3. The fastener as specified by claim 1, wherein the clamping surface of the body is concave.

4. The fastener as specified by claim 1, wherein the fastener body and the support have cooperative clamping surfaces which are complementarily coniform.

5. The fastener as specified by claim 1, wherein the guide means comprises at least one fixed elongate rib extending beyond the clamping face of the fastener body, said rib being spiralled from a location near the outer edge of the body toward the axis of rotation thereof.

6. The fastener as specified by claim 5, wherein one end of the spiralled rib is spaced from the opposite end thereof a distance exceeding the diametral dimension of the wire to be coiled and clamped.

7. The fastener as specified by claim 5, wherein the clamping surface of the fastener body carries a plural number of ribs.

8. The fastener as specified by claim 5, wherein the rib has a blunt wire-engaging edge to avoid severance of the wire.

9. The fastener as specified by claim 8, wherein one end of the spiralled rib is spaced from the opposite end thereof a distance exceeding the diametral dimension of the wire to be coiled and clamped.

10. The fastener as specified by claim 9, wherein the clamping surface of the fastener body carries a plural number of ribs all spiralled in a common direction relative to the body axis.

11. The fastener as specified by claim 9, wherein the fastener is in the form of a screw having a head and an externally threaded shank, and the spiralled rib is formed on the under face of the head, one end of said rib terminating near the outer circumference of the head, and the other end of said rib terminating near said threaded shank.

12. The fastener as specified by claim 11, wherein the rib approximately surrounds the threaded shank of the fastener, and is characterized by a blunt wire-engaging edge to avoid severance of the wire to be coiled and clamped.

13. The fastener as specified by claim 5, wherein the fastener is in the form of a screw having a head and an externally threaded shank, and the spiralled rib is formed on the under face of the head, one end of said rib terminating near the outer circumference of the head, and the other end of said rib terminating near said threaded shank.

14. The fastener as specified by claim 13, wherein the fastener body and the support have cooperative clamping surfaces which are complementarily coniform.

15. The fastener as specified by claim 13, wherein the rib has a blunt wire-engaging edge to avoid severance of the wire to be coiled and clamped.

16. The fastener as specified by claim 15, wherein the clamping surface of the body is convex.

17. The fastener as specified by claim 15, wherein clamping surface of the body is concave.

18. The fastener as specified by claim 1, wherein the guide means comprises at least one spiralled groove formed in the clamping surface of the fastener body, said groove being spiralled from a location near the outer circumferential edge of the body toward the axis of rotation thereof.

19. The fastener as specified by claim 18, wherein the clamping surface of the fastener body carries a plural number of grooves all spiralled in a common direction relative to the body axis.

20. The fastener as specified by claim 18, wherein one end of the spiralled groove is spaced from the opposite end thereof a distance exceeding the diametral dimension of the wire to be coiled and clamped.

21. The fastener as specified by claim 20, wherein the depth of the groove is of a lesser dimension than the diametral dimension of the Wire to be coiled and clamped.

22. The fastener as specified by claim 20, wherein the clamping surface of the body is convex.

23. The fastener as specified by claim 20, wherein the clamping surface of the body is concave.

24. The fastener as specified by claim 20, wherein the spirally grooved clamping surface is convex.

25. The fastener as specified by claim 20, wherein the spirally grooved clamping surface is concave.

26. A washer for anchoring an end of a wire against a cooperative support member, said Washer including a substantially central perforation, and having a clamping surface movable into close proximity with said support member, and spiral guide means carried by the clamping surface of the Washer for coiling and directing toward the washer aperture a terminal portion of a wire to be inserted and clamped between the clamping surface of the washer and said cooperative support member.

27. The washer as specified by claim 26, wherein the support member and the clamping surface of the Washer are complementarily coniform in shape.

28. The Washer as specified by claim 26, wherein the guide means comprises at least one fixed elongate rib extending beyond the clamping surface thereof, said rib being spiralled from a location near the outer peripheral edge of the washer toward the perforation thereof.

29. The washer as specified by claim 28, wherein the rib has a blunt wire-engaging edge to avoid severance of the wire to be coiled and clamped.

30. The washer as specified by claim 29, having in combination therewith means for rotating said washer relative to the cooperative support member.

31. The Washer as specified by claim 29, wherein one end of the spiralled rib is spaced from the opposite end thereof a distance exceeding the diametral dimension of the wire to be coiled and clamped.

32. The Washer as specified by claim 26, wherein the guide means comprises at least one spiralled groove formed in the clamping surface of the washer, said groove being spiralled from a location near the outer circumferential edge of the washer to a location near the perforation aforesaid.

33. The washer as specified by claim 32, wherein the depth of the groove is a lesser dimension than the diametral dimension of the wire to be coiled and clamped.

34. The washer as specified by claim 32, wherein the clamping surface of the washer carries a plural number of grooves all spiralled in a common direction relative to the axis of the washer perforation.

35. The washer as specified by claim 32, wherein the clamping surface thereof is convex.

36. The washer as specified by claim 32, wherein the clamping surface thereof is concave.

37. The Washer as specified by claim 32, wherein one 10 end of the spiralled groove is spaced from the opposite end thereof a distance exceeding the dia-metral dimension of the wire to be coiled and clamped.

38. The Washer as specified by claim 37, having in combination therewith means for rotating said washer relative to the cooperative support member.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 781,686 2/1905 Sibley 339-269 1,166,114 12/1915 Cuthbert 339271 7/1917 Cuthbert 339-271 10/ 19 17 Cuthbert 339271 4/1934 MacLean 859 9/ 1948 Gilman 85-9 X 5/ 1951 Stonehill 339274 12/1952 Ornstein 85-9 X 4/1960 Keehan 859 X FOREIGN PATENTS 3/1942 France. 3/1966 Germany. 10/ 1964 Great Britain.

US. Cl. X.R. 

